Yesterday marked the first time I ran outside since last September. It was nice to be running in the fresh air again. Although the pace was slow, I was able to chug my way around my 6 1/2 mile route in Marysville. Tomorrow morning's 4:30 AM run will be the true test of my commitment. It's supposed to be raining. After battling achilles tendon issues for seven months (I believe due to side effects from taking a Statin drug for my cholesterol), it was finally nice to do more than just walk on the treadmill. The hamstrings are telling me that they haven't run for a long time but if I can keep myself from pushing too hard too soon, I should be able to build slowly back to marathon shape again.

It's a long ways off; but that's my goal: marathon number two sometime this fall.

I'll keep you posted...